USC coach to plead guilty to role in Lori Loughlin case

By

Sommer Brokaw

Laura Jenke, a former coach of women's soccer at University of Southern California, will plead guilty to charges related to a fake crew profile to get Lori Loughlin's daughter into the college. Loughlin is shown arriving for the Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles last year. File Photo by Gregg DeGuire/UPI | License Photo

April 23 (UPI) -- A former University of Southern California coach agreed Tuesday to plead guilty to playing a role in Lori Loughlin's alleged college admissions scheme.

The U.S. Attorney's Office alleged in a criminal complaint that Laura Janke, 36, of North Hollywood, Calif., a former assistant USC coach of women's soccer, was contacted in July of 2017 by alleged scheme mastermind - - William "Rick" Singer - - to prepare a false crew profile for Loughlin's daughter.

Janke also allegedly emailed Singer other false athletic recruit profiles to get children of other wealthy parents into USC.

The actress and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 to get their daughters into USC as fake rowing team recruits when they had no competitive rowing experience.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that Janke is one of two defendants who agreed to plead guilty to conspiring with Singer on charges related to bribery and other fraud to help wealthy parents' children get into highly-selective universities.

Toby MacFarlane, a 56-year-old father and former senior executive of a title insurance company, of Del Mar, Calif., will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

MacFarlane similarly paid $450,000 to get his children into USC as "purported athletic recruits," prosecutors said.

Janke was directed by Singer to create a fake basketball profile for MacFarlane's son and used materials provided by MacFarlane and Singer to create a fake soccer profile for his daughter, according to prosecutors.